Jonathan Allen from Car Connexxion

So last Sunday night at 10 I got the call that most husbands dread from my wife. 'The car started beeping at me and then smoke (steam as it turned out) started coming out from the bonnet the car has stopped and its freezing and what are you going to do about it?”

Of course my first reaction and probably a male one was trying to quiz my wife who was standing on the side of the road in 3 degrees as to what had caused this and trying to diagnose the problem……Big Mistake!

What resulted was a meltdown of female proportions, so I rung my dad (I was at home being house husband for the weekend) and asked him to pick her up.

What I was reminded of was this, a proportion of the driving population has absolutely no understanding of, or interest in, the inner workings of an automobile (my wife included).

They just want them to start when they turn the key, and get them from where they are to where they want to go.

So if you would classify yourself within this group then this is aimed at you:

Three steps to keeping your car going and rescue you when it stops:

1. Develop or re-kindle a good relationship with a mechanic you trust.

If you don't have one ask around, most people have had good and bad experiences.

Be friendly, have a laugh with them and don't begrudge them making a dollar. The worst think you can do is take your car somewhere else for a cheap 'service”, which is really just a glorified oil change and then visit them when something goes wrong.

Remember you really do get what you pay for. (I will go into this in more detail next week)

2. If you don't know already or even if you think you do, next time you get a service ask your mechanic to show you how to do basic checks under the hood and how to check your tyres (more later also). This is important. I have seen cars that people thought had broken transmissions that were just low on transmission fluid.

3. Subscribe to a breakdown service, either the AA or one that is offered by your insurance company.

There is nothing worse than returning from a relaxing holiday at Auckland Airport and your battery being flat (speaking from experience). It all seems a lot worse at 2am after a 14h our flight - and it's also hard to break into modern cars now to retrieve your keys (also speaking from experience).

And on a last note when you feel like your car is ready to lie on its back and kick its feet in the air for one last time (which it seems my wife's has done) don't leave it too late upgrading otherwise your current car will be worth nothing as a trade on a new one!!